


Imperfectly Perfect

by catem, theauthenticme



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl Blossom Needs a Hug, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Season 2 AU, choni, tw for eating disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-11-02 11:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catem/pseuds/catem, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthenticme/pseuds/theauthenticme
Summary: Being perfect was something Cheryl had always been told she had to be. Perfection was everything. Perfect grades, perfect clothes, perfect hair. When Toni joins Riverdale High, Cheryl slowly starts to realize that being perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be and that imperfection is in fact perfect in its own way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a collaboration between Catem and I. 
> 
> This fic comes with a trigger warning for mentions of an eating disorder throughout. Please bare that in mind when reading. 
> 
> The title comes from a song called 'Orange Juice' by Melanie Martinez.

It had been a few weeks since the Southsiders had joined Riverdale High. Cheryl had spent most of their first week on a crusade to get them kicked out again, increasingly worried that their presence would bring down her 4.0 average.

When she was hauled into the principal's office, it was made very clear to her that unless she stopped what she was doing, _she_ would be the one to face some quite severe consequences which Principal Weatherbee had reminded her would _not_ look good on her college applications.

Although it made her feel out of control, Cheryl had graciously admitted defeat on the matter, and now just did her best to ignore them whenever she passed them in the corridors.

She was far too busy to concern herself with what they may or may not be doing, instead focusing on things she _could_ control, like how well she studied or how she ran the Vixens.

It gave her something to think about during her long, lonely lunchtimes. It wasn't like she needed a whole hour like everybody else. She didn't have people to sit and chat with.

The only people she had were the other vixens..not that she would call them her friends. They were more..._minions_, following her round like puppies and doing whatever she wanted them to.

They always wanted to eat what she was eating in the cafeteria. Claimed she had an amazing figure and they wanted to look the same.

Cheryl would always role her eyes, ordering something with salad. On the occasions she did order anything with more calories, she would have the overwhelming urge to go and work out, her mother's cruel words echoing in her head.

_Perfection doesn't just happen Cheryl. You have to work hard to maintain a healthy weight. You're on the verge of getting large._

Of course anyone who looked at Cheryl would see this was not the case, but Cheryl never told anyone, fearing they would only affirm what her mother had said. So she had to work out..or get rid of it some other way.

...

Toni was walking down the hallway towards her fourth period when she heard a strange noise coming from the girl’s restroom.

Concerned, Toni sped towards the bathroom and opened the door, her eyes scanning the bathroom to find the source of the noise. She moved closer to the stalls, peering down slightly to find a person in a very familiar plaid skirt, black tights, and boots kneeling on the ground in the farthest stall. She slowly edged closer over to the bathroom stall and knocked on the stall door lightly.

"Hey Bombshell, are you alright in there?" Toni asked with concern laced through her voice.

Cheryl was just wiping her mouth when she heard the unfamiliar, gravelly tones of someone outside her stall. "I am perfectly well thank you" she stood on shaky legs but made no effort to come out. "And didn't your Mother ever teach you that it's rude to snoop when someone is in a stall?"

Toni rolled her eyes at Cheryl's reply. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You don't have to act as 'Cheryl Bombshell' 24/7."

Cheryl was still trying to work out who the mystery voice was. "I don't know who you are or what you think you heard, but I can _assure_ you I am absolutely fine. I'm not _acting_, I'm simply being me."

Toni let out a soft sigh of frustration. "Cheryl, please open the door. At least let me see if you're truly alright."

Cheryl unlocked the bathroom stall, keen to see who this person was who seemed so keen to check on her. If it was one of her vixens, she would have known their voice...but this one was..intriguingly unfamiliar.

"Why do you even care- oh. It's _you_." She glared at Toni, her arms folding defensively over her chest. "I assume they didn't have doors on the stalls at Southside High so you thought it was acceptable to peer over or under mine to see who was occupying that stall hmm? Piece of advice..that sort of behavior is _not_ okay here." She fixed Toni with an icy glare.

Toni crossed her arms and stared Cheryl in the eyes. "I didn't have to peek. It was easy to guess; you're the only one who wears red that boldly." Toni added with a smirk on her face.

"Which brings me back to my earlier question. Why the _hell_ do you even care?" It genuinely baffled the redhead.

Toni gave a victorious smile, ecstatic that she didn't get another insult thrown her way. 

"Cheryl, you might think that you have everyone at Riverdale High fooled, but I can see that you're hiding something" Toni stated with conviction, noticing the slight fear building up in Cheryl's eyes.

"I can tell that your insults are just diversions. You don't fool me, Cheryl." Toni whispered putting her hand on Cheryl's arm hoping that Cheryl wouldn't reject her comfort this time.

"You have no idea what you're talking about.." Cheryl took a step back when Toni touched her as she tried to hide the wobble in her voice.

How could someone she barely knew have read her so well?

"I think I do." Toni replied taking another step forward.

"N..no..you don't.." she was starting to feel anxious, a heavy feeling growing in her chest.

"Then why are my words having such a bIG effect on you?" Toni asked, staring intently into Cheryl's eyes.

"They're not.." Cheryl cleared her throat, trying to regain some control of the situation. "Now if you don't mind, I have a class to get to. Some of us want to maintain our 4.0 GPA."

"Cheryl..." Toni tried to interject before Cheryl walked away.

"What Toni?" Cheryl almost barked, stepping round Toni to wash her hands. 

Toni let out a sigh frustrated that Cheryl was putting her walls back up. "I'm here for you if you need anything."

"I don't. But thanks" her clipped tone was back.

"Cheryl, please." Toni went up to Cheryl's side as she continued washing her hands. "I just want to help you."

"How very.._quaint_" Cheryl flashed Toni her best HBIC smile. "The only *help* I need right now is for you to stop holding me up so I can get to class." She pulled a piece of gum out of her purse and popped it into her mouth before spritzing herself in perfume.

Toni coughed as Cheryl's perfume infiltrated her sinuses.

Cheryl breezed past Toni, not even giving her a backwards glance as she exited the bathroom and made her way to class.  
She'd have to be more careful to avoid Toni in future. She had no idea how she was doing it, but Toni knew _far_ too much and Cheryl did not like it one bit.

Toni frowned as she watched Cheryl exit the bathroom without so much as a glance at her.

She was positive that Cheryl was hiding something, but she didn't know what it could be. She had no idea why Cheryl intrigued her so much.

Maybe it was because Cheryl reminded her so much of herself before Sweet Pea and Fangs stepped into her life.

Maybe it was because no one had challenged her quite like Cheryl had.

Maybe it was because Cheryl was the most gorgeous girl that Toni had ever seen and it somehow pained her when she saw traces of sadness in Cheryl's eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 1. Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought. 💜❤️
> 
> Follow me on twitter at theauthenticme2 and follow Catem at blossom2blues 😊


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for abuse and mentions of eating disorders.

Cheryl's heart sunk when she saw Penelope's car in the driveway at Thistlehouse. She had hoped her mother wouldn't be home that night..if at all, busy entertaining one of her gentleman callers elsewhere. But to Cheryl's dismay, she was home. So much for her plans for a quiet night.

As Cheryl walked through the door, she heard the sound of her mother's heels speedily clacking in her direction. "Cheryl!" Penelope exclaimed with clear disdain in her eyes as she appeared in the hallway. "What were you thinking?" Penelope asked with a growl in her throat.

"What do you mean, what was I thinking?" she winced at her mother's words, fearing what was to come. She couldn't think of anything she'd done wrong, but then again, where Penelope was concerned, there didn't really have to be a reason.

"I found Jason's letterman jacket in your room!" Penelope glared at Cheryl as she held up Jason's jacket. "How could you be so selfish! To go through Jason's things and defile his room!"

"Ohh" Cheryl felt her stomach drop. She had forgotten about that until now. "I'm not _defiling_ his room mommy dearest. I am simply remembering my brother in the way way I see fit."

"By ruining his things!" Penelope exclaimed furiously as she clenched her fists. "I don't want you anywhere near Jason's room. I don't want you touching any of his things. You don't deserve that right!"

"I don't deserve the right? It was _your_ husband who murdered him in cold blood. Or did you forget that fact?" Cheryl was raging.

Penelope grabbed Cheryl's wrist harshly, causing her to wince in pain. "You're the one who should've died not Jason, you deviant waste of space! I want you to remember that, now and always" Penelope growled out at Cheryl, causing Cheryl to put her head down in shame. 

Penelope gave her a dastardly smile as she realized how hard her words hit Cheryl. She walked away, leaving Cheryl alone in her misery.

Cheryl did her best to keep her tears at bay as she rubbed her now throbbing wrist, wondering how obviously the bruises were going to show against her alabaster skin.

She tucked her purse back under her arm, grabbed her keys and headed back out of the front door, keen to get as far away from her mother as possible.

As Cheryl started to drive, she realized there was in fact very few places in Riverdale to escape too. She headed to Pops, ordering herself her favorite Cherry phosphate drink and tucking herself quietly into the dimly lit corner booth.

...

Toni had driven her motorcycle to Pop's, hungry for her favorite burger and fries.

As she walked up to the door of the diner, she noticed Cheryl's Chevrolet Impala convertible parked right outside Pops. Her heart fluttered as she realized she would get another chance to talk to Cheryl tonight.

Toni walked into the diner, her food order forgotten. She walked past every booth on the left side, trying to spot the redhead. With no luck, she went towards the booths on the right side. When she finally reached the corner booth, she gave a victorious smile.

“Well if it isn’t Cheryl Bombshell" she declared before she had looked clearly at Cheryl’s disheveled state.

Cheryl barely looked up, recognizing the voice as none other than that of Toni Topaz. "My god, what do you want? And why do you keep stalking me?" she couldn't hide the weary tone in her voice as she spoke.

"I'm not" Toni stated matter of factly. "I came to get a burger and saw your impala parked outside so I thought I'd say hi."

"Oh..right.." she didn't have any of her usual sass or bite, glancing at Toni for the briefest of seconds before her gaze was downcast again.

"May I sit here?" Toni asked with a soft smile on her face.

"If you want.." Cheryl shrugged, her eyes not leaving her drink, seemingly not bothered either way.

Toni sat down and looked carefully at Cheryl, who was still staring hard at her drink. "Are you okay, Cheryl?" Toni asked with concern laced in her voice.

"Hmm?" she had barely heard what Toni had said, lost in her own thoughts.

"Cheryl." Toni repeated a little louder causing Cheryl to snap out of her thoughts and finally look Toni in the eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Oh right..yes..yes I'm fine.." she mumbled, her gaze dropping to her lap again where she cradled her painful wrist.

"You don't have to be fine, Cheryl. It's not a requirement you know" Toni stated softly. "I'm here if you want to talk about it...whatever _it_ is."

"Talk about what exactly? There's nothing I need to talk _about_."

"Cheryl, you can barely look me in the eye. You're clearly not fine." Toni was trying to not upset the already agitated girl.

"It's nothing" she mumbled, trying to force herself to look at and meet Toni's eyes again. She tried..but she simply _couldn't_, feeling on the verge of tears as it was.

"Please let me help you" Toni stated softly. "_Please_. I hate to see you in pain."

"Whilst I appreciate the offer, I don't think you can help." Nobody could help, not really.

"Why couldn't I help?" Toni asked hoping to finally get somewhere, anywhere with the forlorn redhead sat opposite her.

Cheryl shrugged. She didn't really have an answer to that.

"Why?" Toni repeated with a softer tone.

Cheryl shrugged again, giving herself a few extra seconds to find her voice. "How exactly do you think you could help?"

"I'm sneaky, resourceful, I could punch a few idiots in the face if need be." Cheryl gave a small smile,encouraging Toni to continue. "I have excellent fashion sense, I'm a good listener, clever. You're not the only one with a 4.0 GPA, Bombshell." Toni stated with a smirk on her face.

"Quite the catalogue there" Cheryl took a sip of her drink. "I'm impressed."

"You should be." Toni stated unable to contain the stupid grin now present on her face. "I'm also quite charming."

"So it would seem.." Cheryl spoke softly, trying her best to forget about her throbbing wrist and the emotional turmoil raging inside of her.

"Back to my great listening skills." Toni said with a hint of a smile still present on her face. "What's up Bombshell?"

Cheryl opened her mouth, but felt herself clamming up as soon as she tried to say anything. "It's..I..I'm.." she wasn't getting anywhere. This wasn't something Cheryl did. Confiding in someone was simply not something she did.

"It's okay Cheryl." Toni spoke softly. "I'm not going to use your words to insult or harass you, but if you're so uncomfortable with me knowing, you don't have to tell me now.I'm always available to listen though if you change your mind."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'd like to think it's because I'm a nice person, but it's also because I know how it feels to be alone and I don't wish that on anyone." Toni flashed Cheryl another charming smile.

"Being alone sucks" Cheryl agreed.

"It does. That's why I'm here for you Cheryl, now and always." Toni stated with sincerity.

"Most people would have given up on me long before now. Especially with the way I've treated you" Cheryl would be lying if she said she didn't feel guilty.

"Well I'm not like most people" Toni stared directly into Cheryl's brown eyes.

"No..no you're not.." Cheryl was starting to see that.

"I probably should go order my burger now. I'll be right back."

"Right..right. Sorry" she had taken Toni away from the reason she was even at Pops. She took the time while Toni was ordering to inspect her very painful wrist.

Toni arrived back at the table with her order noticing Cheryl holding something and seeming to be in pain. "Cheryl, are you alright?"

"Perfectly" she forced a smile onto her face. "Eat your food Toni..it will go cold if you don't."

Toni immediately recognized that Cheryl was deflecting. "I can eat it later." Toni replied as she placed her food onto the table and walked over to Cheryl's side of the booth. "I have a spare set of medical supplies on my bike if you're hurt."

"That's kind of you...but I'm honestly okay.." she moved her wrist further out of sight, using her other hand to pick up her drink. "Eat your food Toni."

Toni let out a sigh and decided not to push Cheryl. She didn't want to make Cheryl anymore apprehensive about trusting her. Toni walked over to her side of the booth and sat down. "Want a fry?" She asked trying to diffuse the tension.

Cheryl shook her head. "You enjoy them Toni."

Toni shrugged and started to munch on her fries. While she was eating, Cheryl did nothing but stare down at her wrist. Toni again tried to break the tension with another question. "What's your favorite animal?" She blurted out without thinking.

"Uh..." Cheryl thought about. "I always loved dogs. JJ and I always asked for one growing up but mother always said no. You?"

"While the expected answer would be serpents, I think dogs would definitely have to be my favorite. Why wouldn't your mother let you have a dog?" Toni asked curiously.

Cheryl shook her head. "She said pets were simply an unnecessary distraction to our education." Oh how she wished she could have had a pet growing up.

Toni's smile shifted into a frown. "That was an unnecessary way to tell a child no."

"That was my mother all over" Cheryl gave her a sad smile. "A lot of the things she does are unnecessary, if not just down right unkind."

Toni's frown became concerned. "Does she act like that a lot?"

"Unfortunately" Cheryl sighed, her gaze falling away from Toni's again.

"Has she ever physically hurt you?" Toni asked hoping that what she was now thinking wasn't the truth.

"What?" Cheryl's head snapped up briefly. "Why would you think that?"

"You were in pain earlier. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't her doing. I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"No..no..it's okay. It..it wasn't her though. I just fell after school."

"What did you fall on?" Toni asked.

"I just tripped. I'm clumsy like that" she hoped Toni didn't know her well enough yet to realize that wasn't true.

"I wouldn't have expected the great Cheryl Bombshell to be clumsy." Toni replied trying to lighten the mood.

Cheryl shrugged. "Who'd have thought it right? But I am. S..so any injuries I have now..or in the future. They're from that."

Toni's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Alright then." She stated unsure what Cheryl was hiding.

"What sort of first aid skills do you possess Toni?" Cheryl asked, her tone formal, almost as if this was some sort of interview.

"I can patch up wounds pretty well. I also know how to tell if bones are broken or sprained. Being a Serpent, knowing how to take care of injuries as necessary." Toni replied calmly trying not to seem worried.

"Seems like a pretty useful life skill to have" Cheryl agreed with a nod, her fingers closing around her throbbing wrist in her lap.

"Yea it certainly is." Toni stated with a nod. "I could take a look at any injury that you got from your fall if you wanted."

"Of course not." Toni spoke without any hesitance in her voice. "Do you want me to check out your injury here or would you prefer to do it somewhere else?"

"Not here.." Cheryl couldn't risk her mother seeing. "Somewhere else would be good if you can think of anywhere."

"We could go to my trailer." Toni replied. "If you were comfortable with that of course."

"O..on the Southside?" She had never been to the Southside before.

"Yes, I live on the Southside. It sort of comes with being a Southside Serpent." Toni teased with a playful wink.

"True. That will be fine Toni. If you lead the way, I can follow in my car."

Toni and Cheryl went to their respective vehicles and started to head towards Toni's trailer. Cheryl got more and more nervous as they got closer to the Southside. What if someone damaged her car? This car was Jason’s before he died; it meant more to her than anything. Maybe this was a bad idea. Or maybe Toni had somewhere safe to put it. She could only hope. After a fifteen minute drive, Toni pulled up to her trailer with Cheryl close behind her.

Cheryl watched Toni park her bike and head to the door, Cheryl pulling up on the grass beside her and getting out, following Toni to the door.

Toni took her trailer keys out of her pocket and unlocked the front door holding it open for Cheryl.

"Thank you" Cheryl mumbled quietly, walking over the threadhold and into the trailer. She had never been in a trailer before, surprised that it looked bigger and more home like that she had expected.

"Your wrist...that's an interesting place to fall on." Toni stated trying to keep a straight face to not worry Cheryl. "I'll get some ice and then check if we need more."

"Okay..thank you.." Cheryl hovered by the couch, not wanting to sit down without being asked. It would have been rude and incredibly bad manners. Not that her mother would approve of her being here in the first place, she'd ground Cheryl for a month if she knew.

Toni walked into the room with a bag of ice in her hand, gazing at Cheryl with a look of confusion. "Cheryl, you can sit down! I'm not going to make you stand up."

"Thank you Toni.." she sat down carefully, surprised at how comfortable the worn leather couch felt beneath her as she sunk into it.

Toni walked up to Cheryl and knelt down in front of her, placing the bag of ice on the arm of the couch to Cheryl's left. "Can you hold out your wrist for me?"

Cheryl gingerly extended her wrist towards Toni, biting down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying out as the simple movement caused pain to radiate through her.

Toni's eyes widened as she glanced at Cheryl's bruised wrist, holding it gently in her hands. She noticed it had swelled up quite a bit from when she first saw Cheryl a couple of hours ago. "Okay this wrist is definitely sprained or maybe worse."

Cheryl groaned, doing her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Surely not.. it wasn't even bad." She had suffered *much worse at the hands of Penelope Blossom.

"Cheryl, look at it. You definitely took a nasty fall there. How would you describe the pain you're feeling when you move your wrist? Do you feel a stabbing sensation or a throbbing pain?" Toni asked feeling the upmost sympathy for the girl who looked as if she was about to break down.

"Throbbing" she whispered quietly, suddenly feeling very vulnerable sitting in front of Toni like this.

"Okay, good then you most likely just have a sprain, which I can handle." Toni stated with a comforting smile.

"Thank you." Cheryl took the opportunity to glance around the room. It was more homely than she thought it would be.

"No problem Bombshell." Toni replied giving Cheryl a soft smile. "You're just going to have to apply cold ice for 10-15 minutes every one to two hours for a day or two. If nothing changes, tell me. You also should not be cheerleading until your wrist is completely healed. You could risk hurting it more."

The usually fiery redhead winced when the cold ice touched her skin, although relaxed when it stated to ease the throb. "I'll have to start calling you doctor Topaz."

"I guess you will, Bombshell." Toni stated as she watched the redhead relax with the ice on her wrist. Silence enveloped the room. "Would you like to stay here tonight Cheryl? It's getting late and I don't think you should be driving with that wrist." Toni spoke nervously hoping she wouldn't scare the redhead away.

"I couldn't impose on you like that. What will you family say if they come home and see me here?"

Toni let out a sigh. "Cheryl....I live alone. That won't be a problem."

"Oh right okay then...if you're sure.." she hated to impose.

"Of course, I'm sure. You can take my room; I'll sleep on the couch."

"How very chivalrous of you ms Topaz."

"I try." Toni replied with a smirk. "Do you want to head to bed now or would you like to stay up and watch some Netflix."

"I'm not that tired. Some Netflix sounds good if you're okay with that."

"Sure." Toni stated as she plopped down on the couch next to Cheryl. "What are we watching?"

"You pick" if Cheryl was being honest, she was feeling rather fragile, both emotionally and physically. She was teetering on the edge of somewhere she didn't want to be emotionally, trying to hold herself as best she could.

"I think The Good Place would be able to lift your spirits." Toni replied.

"Whatever you think Toni" she shrugged.

The Good Place helped lighten the mood at least a little bit. Toni had caught Cheryl smile a few times as they watched the show.

While the show was playing, Cheryl had accidentally leaned her head against Toni’s shoulder. After about five minutes, Cheryl had finally noticed where her head was laying. She mumbled an apology and scooted away, much to Toni’s disappointment.

Cheryl remained a bit distant after that, but still seemed to be enjoying the show at least a little bit. At about 12:30 AM, Toni caught Cheryl continuously yawning. "You ready to go to sleep?" Toni asked gently.

"Uhuh" she agreed sleepily. "But you have the bed Toni...please. I'll be okay out here. You have already been more than a little kind to me today."

Toni shook her head. "No. You're injured Cheryl. Please take the bed."

"Atleast share it with me" she whispered quietly.

"As long as you're comfortable with that." Toni replied softly.

Cheryl nodded, getting up gingerly from the couch to follow Toni.

Toni led Cheryl into her bedroom and immediately went to her clothes drawers. She held up a black T-shirt and a pair of plaid shorts. "Here's some pajamas for you to change into."

"Thank you for taking such good care of me, I can't tell you how much I appreciate how hospitable you've been towards me."

Toni smiled at Cheryl. "It's no problem Bombshell. You can get changed in the bathroom to your left if it makes you more comfortable."

"Thank you" she wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed about her body, it was the other marks on her skin she didn't want Toni to see.

Toni quickly got changed and settled into her bed responding to a couple texts that she got from Sweet Pea and Fangs. After a few minutes, Cheryl emerged from the bathroom in Toni's pajamas with her clothes in her hand. Toni couldn't help but feel warmth in her heart at the sight of Cheryl wearing her clothes. "You ready for me to turn the lights out, Cheryl?"

"Uhuh, ready when you are.." she got into bed, laying stiffly besideToni.

"Alright then." Toni replied reaching towards the lamp and twisting the switch. "Good night Cheryl."

"Good night. And thank you again, your kindness really has meant a lot to me."

"No problem. I'm always here if you need anything."

"Noted.." Toni was being so kind, much kinder than she deserved. "Thank you again."

"Good night" although Cheryl wasn't sure she'd get to sleep easily, she lay still and quiet, allowing Toni to get to sleep.

Toni closed her eyes for a few minutes finding herself unable to fall asleep; she hoped that Cheryl was having better luck. After a few more minutes, she decided to open her eyes and check on Cheryl. Her eyes widened when she saw that Cheryl's eyes weren't even closed. "Cheryl, are you going to try and get some sleep?"

"I am..I guess I'm just..thinking.." she mumbled. "Sorry if I am keeping you awake."

Toni lightly shook her head. "No, no you aren't. I guess I've been having some trouble too. What are you thinking about?"

"Just about earlier. Before I saw you at the diner. Nothing worth boring you with. What about you?"

"You wouldn't bore me Cheryl. If you want to talk about it, say what's on your mind." Toni responded trying to divert the conversation back to Cheryl's thoughts.

Cheryl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She was glad the room was dark and Toni wouldn't see. "It's honestly not worth your time."

Toni reached out and grasped Cheryl's hand. "You're worth every second Bombshell."

"You're always so nice to me."

"And you always seem to want to divert the conversation, Cheryl. Just tell me if you're uncomfortable. Don't push away." Toni pleaded with Cheryl.

"I.im not.. I just..talking about myself..about personal things, it's hard for me."

"Why is that?" Toni asked gently.

"I don't know" she whispered into the darkness. She had never stopped to analyze it before.

Realizing that she wouldn't get anything tonight, Toni dropped the subject. "Well I'll be here when you're ready. Please try and get some sleep."

"You too Toni....you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 2. Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought. This is only one experience of an eating disorder...if you have had a different experience and would like that to be included, please leave details in a comment or message me on twitter at theauthenticme2. You can use my curious cat to send an anonymous message if you prefer. You can contact Catem at blossom2blues 😊


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